Double trouble: Hornets fall short in Toronto, have another injury to deal with
Even when good injury news engulfs the Charlotte Hornets, there always seems to be an asterisk lurking.
It happened yet again Monday night.
With star point guard LaMelo Ball leading the charge once again, healthy after sitting out all but one outing over the last two weeks, and just hours after a positive update about Brandon Miller’s status, the Hornets got bitten by the dreaded injury bug once more.
Tre Mann exited the Hornets’ 110-108 loss at Scotiabank Arena with left ankle soreness, adding to Charlotte’s list of walking wounded and to the frustration of another rough defeat that’s made the promising 2-1 start to the 2025-26 season seem like light years ago.
The Hornets had two cracks at tying the game in the closing seconds, but Miles Bridges missed a turnaround jumper in the lane with 2.6 seconds remaining and Collin Sexton’s putback attempt with two-tenths left got blocked by Scottie Barnes at the buzzer, sending the Hornets (4-10) to their third straight loss.
“I feel like we have to close games a lot better,” Sexton said. “But this is a learning experience. Just have to continue to learn from it and continue to talk about it and talk about things we could have done better down the stretch.”
Kon Knueppel paced the Hornets with 24 points and added seven rebounds and three steals, keeping his solid season going. Bridges had 22 points and eight rebounds while Ball registered 20 points, eight assists and five rebounds in 28 minutes, which includes finishing the game in crunch time.
As for Mann, he slipped near the sideline in the first half and twisted his ankle awkwardly. He tried to walk it off and didn’t go to the locker room immediately after it happened, instead remaining on the bench initially as he attempted to loosen it back up.
Brandon Miller’s injury
Mann’s injury came on the same day Miller hit a key milestone in his rehabilitation, representing a really good sign for a team that’s been without its full team intact all season. Miller, who’s been sidelined the past two weeks while nursing a left shoulder subluxation, has returned to basketball activity.
Miller was assigned to the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets’ G League affiliate, for practice Monday and then officially transferred back to Charlotte’s main roster. That’s typically what the Hornets do to get players who are coming back from injury live reps since practice time dwindles significantly during the NBA regular season.
That was the case for Ball, who practiced with the Swarm along with Mason Plumlee last Wednesday in preparation for his first meaningful game since Nov. 2. He returned on Friday in Milwaukee, taking the court with his teammates for the first time in nearly two weeks, and scoring 16 points to go with 10 assists and three rebounds in 27 minutes.
Although he sat out against Oklahoma City on Saturday in the tail end of a back-to-back, Ball also warmed up during his normal time slot before their matchup with the Thunder, which was a good indicator he’s feeling better and ready to resume his role as the team’s leading scorer — he entered posting 24.7 points per game — and main facilitator.
Kon Knueppel, Miles Bridges synergy
Hornets coach Charles Lee gave his thoughts on the growing synergy between Knueppel and Bridges. The tandem has taken turns serving as the Hornets’ main scoring threats during the absences of Ball and Miller.
“I think it’s great that Miles has taken on an even more leadership role, to be vocal, to help Kon,” Lee said.” But I do think that Kon has helped Miles because Miles is able to speak to him and he’s able to pick things up really quickly. I think his overall skill set helps Miles as well. His ability to play pick-and-roll. I think that they have a really good connection when it comes to screener and ball-handler. Miles gets off screen quick, Kon being big enough, tall enough, capable enough to make those passes to the seam gives Miles more confidence there.
“And also the second side action I think that I’ve seen Miles shot selection get a lot better because he has confidence in the guys around him and Kon being one of those guys where he knows that I don’t maybe have to shoot this shot that I normally shoot. I’m tired or I’m off balance or whatever it may be, I can now go to that second sight line and I see Kon in the corner and I can have that connection that we can get something done.
“Like all of our guys, and all of their relationships, we all need each other to be successful and I think that those two definitely recognize how they benefit from one another’s skill sets.”
Up next
The Hornets conclude their two-game road trip on Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers, who have the worst record in the NBA at 1-13. Tipoff is scheduled for just after 7 p.m.
This story was originally published November 17, 2025 at 9:47 AM with the headline "Double trouble: Hornets fall short in Toronto, have another injury to deal with."
